Louisville Men’s Cross Country Races to First in Season-Opener

The men’s cross country placed first in the 6K, while the women took runner-up in the 4K.

 

September 3, 2011

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men’s and women’s cross country teams opened the 2011 campaign on Saturday at the Mid-America Opener in Evansville, Ind., as the No. 20 nationally ranked men placed first in the 6K race, and the women took runner-up in the 4K.

 

“I was pretty pleased with the overall effort,” assistant coach Joe Walker said. “We’re not to the stage where we’re fit and things are going to be fluid. Plus, both teams had to deal with change since the schedule ended up getting flipped, so the men competed first. I thought it was a good experience to have deal with change and adversity so early, though.”

 

On the men’s side, the squad received strong performances from the team’s top-four placewinners to take a seven-point victory over Indiana State. Sophomore Tyler Byrne took the individual title, navigating the course in 18:30. He was followed by junior Gordon Dooley, who placed second in 18:44, with sophomore Mattias Wolter recording a time of 18:54 to finish fourth, and freshman Andrew Stewart taking 10th in 19:20. Junior Evan Hibbs and sophomore Ryan Eaton rounded out the team’s final two finishers, placing 15th and 19th, respectively.

 

“Tyler really ran the race the way it was planned for him to run it,” Walker added. “He made a good strong move to take the race. Gordon showed a lot of heart to get himself into second slot. Mattias closed really well and showed some passion in the last 400m. I think Andrew Stewart also had a good day, and it was his first time going over the 5K mark.”

 

The women – who finished behind Indiana State in the team standings – were led by Madie Davidson. A freshman, she took runner-up in 14:57, six seconds behind Indiana State’s Kacie Klem. Classmate Michelle Molodynia also made her collegiate debut, as she posted a time of 15:30 to take eighth. Junior Ariel Briggs crossed the finish line 11th (15:57), and classmate Kacey Cox had a 16th-place showing. Sophomore Paige Dooley (19th), freshman Megan Klein (20th) and Olivia Horvath (32nd) rounded out the group of scoring runners.

 

“We saw today that we are still lacking upperclassman leadership,” assistant coach Taryn Sheehan said. “Madie had a strong performance, but she needs to learn how to win a race; I think with the more chances she gets, the more opportunities she’ll have to take advantage of. Overall, we still have a lot to learn and experience to gain.”

 

The Cardinal men and women return to action on Sept. 17 at the Navy Invitational in Annapolis, Md., at the USNA Golf Course. The men’s 8K begins at 11 a.m., the women’s 6K – the Salty Dog Invitational – follows at 11:30 a.m.

 

For all of the latest information on Louisville cross country and track and field, log on to UofLsports.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/louisvilletrack.

 

MEN’S TEAM RESULTS

1. LOUISVILLE, 32; 2. Indiana State, 39; 3. Evansville, 63; 4. Southern Indiana, 90; 5. Kentucky Wesleyan, 145

 

MEN’S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

1. Tyler Byrne, 18:30; 2. Gordon Dooley, 18:44; 4. Mattias Wolter, 18:54; 10. Andrew Stewart, 19:20; 15. Evan Hibbs, 20:07; 19. Ryan Eaton, 20:33

 

WOMEN’S TEAM RESULTS

1. Indiana State, 19; 2. LOUISVILLE, 51; 3. Evansville, 65; 4. Kentucky Wesleyan, 119

 

WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

2. Madie Davidson, 14:57; 8. Michelle Molodynia, 15:30; 11. Ariel Briggs, 15:57; 16. Kacey Cox, 16:21; 19. Paige Dooley, 16:32; 20. Megan Klein, 16:33; 32. Olivia Horvath, 17:25; (39.) Jessica Cooley, 18:59

 

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For More Information, Contact:

Ira Green, (502) 852-4857

Ira.Green@louisville.edu